Phae and Fate [PV Phaedra] - City of Westminster

4 Jun 2018, 12:30

(Serena Towers & Phaedra Stavrou)

Early August 2012, The Towers Mansion

Serena rubbed her nose with the back of her fingers. It felt itchy for some reason. She didn't quite understand why, it just went strange and she naturally decided to rub it. The young Indian girl stood there with one arm out straight towards the side and the other rubbing her nose as she blinked.

"Please, Miss Towers, stop moving." A pleading voice hit her ears. Blinking, she looked down a little towards the house elf that stood in front of her. She was a only a little taller than he was so they were pretty much in line with each other. "B- But 'Smay-gol'- I- ... Okay..." Serena resigned herself to giving in and nodding. She moved the hand that was rubbing her nose back out so she was holding them both out again. She had been instructed to stand like this whilst the house elf was busy with his measuring tape. She did not know why she had to stand like this but her mother had told her to.

The house elf, whose name was actually Smeagol - which was a name that the six year old girl failed to pronounce properly, quickly took her measurements before nodding to himself. He was in the middle of stitching her a new dress. Apparently she was to wear it for dinner tonight, they had guests coming over. It was his job to finish off the dress and ensure it was ready for the event. The dress was almost finished. He just needed to check the length of her arms for the sleeves so he could ensure they weren't too long. He nodded to himself, quickly returning to the material that was in the corner of the room. It would soon become a dress. In the meantime, Serena wondered off.

She walked out of the room and waddled down the stairs carefully. It took her a while to get down them, without tripping over. Her older brother had pushed her down the stairs not too long ago, so she was always a bit scared of falling now. It really hurt. Holding the banister tightly, she made her way down and looked around the ground floor of the house.

Her mother was busy instructing the kitchen elves about something. She had no idea what but she could hear her mother's very loud and angry voice echoing through the hallways before she had even approached the room. Her father was not home yet, it seemed. Serena pushed the door of her father's study to peer inside but he was not there either.

"What do you think you're doing, Ren? Should I tell father you've been snooping around his office or mother that you're not even ready yet?" Serena heard the teasing voice of an older male behind her. Turning around, she blinked as her gaze fell onto the owner of the voice. It was her older brother, who was to start at Durmstrang later this year. He was dressed up in a white shirt and even sported a tie for the occasion. Clearly an outfit that their mother had picked out for him. His hair had obviously been styled with some gel and he looked like he was ready to go out - not to have dinner.

She shook her head towards him. She was not ready, no. Her brother mocked her a little for it, likely to be the one that would go and tell their mother for them. "N- No!" She quickly replied. She was not sure what 'snooping' meant but it sounded like a bad thing. Her older brother's tone of voice made it clear that it was not a good thing. "Des, do you know who is coming today?" She asked him curiously, wondering what they were all getting ready for.

A young Desmond not much older than her nodded, "You don't know? Mother would be so disappointed. The Stavrous are coming - and you better be on your best behaviour, do you understand?" He replied, jabbing his finger towards her in a threatening manner as he put emphasis on her behaviour. Serena blinked and nodded. She had absolutely no idea who the Stavrous were or even how to pronounce that properly but she did not want to ask him anymore questions.

Hearing Smaegol call her name, she quickly left her brother and climbed up the stairs again carefully. She made her way into the room and with the help of another house elf, Serena got dressed in the light blue dress that he had designed for her. It was a simple enough dress, made with a delicate lace material over some satin. The skirt was puffy and fell on her knees. The sleeves were full sleeved, which she did not like but her mother had insisted she wore. Serena found it a little itchy but whining did not help. No one listened to her in this household. Getting dressed, Serena made her way down those stairs that she had difficulty with once more.

The house was big. There were so many rooms that Serena struggled to remember what most of them were used for. For a small girl, it took a while to get anywhere in this place. She knew the ground floor rooms a lot better than the other floors. There was even a basement that she had never seen. On the ground floor, there were a number of rooms that the guests would usually be found in. Serena had no idea which ones this family would like to meet in but she walked around until she figured out where they were. Her father's friends - usually scholars - were usually found in his study, the library or the living room. Her mother's friends tended to opt for the reception, the dining room, the garden or also in the living room. The latter was usually the best place to start. It was a grand room that was decorated with elaborate paintings. Most people would be seated there for a while.

She could hear voices in the living room by the time she had reached it. It appeared that the Stavrou family had already arrived, though she was not sure how they appeared. Perhaps it was through the fireplace. She had seen people do that. In fact, she had to do that sometimes too. The girl entered the room to see a bunch of people in there already. Desmond shot her a smirk, knowing she would be in a bit of trouble later for arriving a few minutes later than the guests did.

She looked around to see various people in the room. She had no idea how long they had been there. It could not have been longer than a few minutes but the adults already had drinks in their hands. Serena noticed Smaegol walking around with a tray of drinks for people, handing out the last few. He walked over towards the young girl and gave her a glass of juice. She nervously took it, as carefully as she could. Spilling the drink would be the worst thing she could do. Serena had once made the mistake of dropping the glass and breaking it. Her mother was not impressed to say the least. She had learnt the hard way that you never break or spill the drink.

"Ah, there's my daughter, Serena." Her mother's loud voice echoed in the room, catching her attention whilst introducing her to the rest of the room. Although her mother, who went by her maiden name of Kamna Oberoi, had a smile on her face, Serena could sense the bitter glare in her eyes. She was definitely going to be in trouble if she did anything wrong now. The young girl smiled as politely as she could at the guests and did a small curtsy, to greet them. The entire time, she held her breathe trying to be careful not to spill the drink or do anything inappropriate. Her mind was racing with thoughts about what she ought to do in this situation, trying to make sure she pleased her mother. She noticed her father, standing near her mother chatting away to someone. It appeared he had arrived in time, somehow though she had no idea when he came. It was just her that was slightly late, it appeared. Whoops.

Phaedra Stavrou

Adult, II

1 807 1 768

7 Jul 2018, 01:48

The Stavrou Manor

Phaedra sat before her white vanity, kicking her feet absentmindedly as she watched her grandmother work in its reflection. With long strokes, Helen brushed through the dark waves that were her granddaughter’s hair, settling afterwards to section it into two she could begin braiding. This chore could have been reserved for some of the Stavrou house-elves, but doing each other’s hair was often one way the girls and women in her family bonded together, and besides, Helen could style better than any short-fingered elf could dream of.

The sound of hair gliding through soft bristles was soothing to the young witch, but she still remained somewhat antsy from the thoughts running rampant through her mind. Today, her mother had explained earlier, the family would all take a visit to have dinner with the Towers family, for reasons she couldn’t yet comprehend. The child did understand, however, that whatever it was must have been very important, but it was adults' business and her mother wouldn't appreciate it if she were to ask any further. Her job was simple - to sit quietly, look pretty, and most importantly, don't make a mockery of her family. It was all that the girl had to concern herself with.

Of course, all was easier said than done, especially for a child of her age. Phaedra thought herself a big girl – she was going to turn six soon! - but she had been chastised far too many times for her chatty and curious nature. It was difficult to quench such an excitable and energetic soul, but lately, everyone in her household had been quite adamant about doing so.

Everyone except for her grandmother, that is, who often insisted that a young girl should be a young girl. No one listened to Helen in this household, especially not her own husband, but she had her own ways of ensuring her granddaughter would grow up as well adjusted as possible and with the childhood and privileges even she lacked. Without a doubt, the old woman was the most trustworthy adult Phae had ever known and was usually the very first she went to whenever there was a concern.

Speaking of concerns, Phaedra had one bottled in for a whole two seconds before she couldn't possibly keep it under control for any longer. Pausing her slight fidgeting to turn around in her stool, Phaedra completely interrupted the braiding process on her hair. “Nanna,” she began out of the blue, her dark eyes meeting Helen’s hazel ones. “Will… Se…” A pause, as she glanced at the ceiling to recall the name of the Towers’ daughter. “Selena - be nice?” Phaedra didn't often get to be around children her age; the only children in her enormous family either too old and attending Hogwarts already, or living in Greece and rarely seen except for during holiday. Ever since the day she had come into the world, Phaedra had been paraded around and shown-off at countless events, making most of her interactions short-lived and with adults who still were abnormally quick to shoo her away to find her own entertainment. Needless to say, the lonely child desired attention, fun, and friendships, and naively hoped that the gathering with Serena could fill that hole in her heart.

Helen gave her granddaughter a smile, the corners of her mouth wrinkling slightly. “You mean Serena, my dear,” she corrected with a long inflexion on the R, lifting a hand to gently turn Phaedra’s head and upper body back around so that she was facing forward again. The woman’s other hand remained firm in the strands despite the movement and after the young one sitting before her was back in place she continued with the braiding pattern, unaffected, from where she had left. The woman was truly an expert at handling disruptive children, after raising three of them of her very own. “I’m sure the both of you will get along just fine,” Helen said, and sensing her granddaughter's unspoken worries she leaned down to give little Phae a gentle poke in her side. "You're a bright girl and they'll adore you."

Ticklish, Phaedra brought her hands up to keep any giggles from escaping, but to no avail. Her grandmother always knew how to make her feel better.“You will one day attend school together, have you forgotten?”

Of course, Phaedra hadn’t forgotten, it was all her family talked about ever since she had shown her first sign of magic a year prior. The occasion was lighthearted - she had gotten excited one day and accidentally turned her cat's fur spiky and wild, similar to muggle cartoons after someone experienced an electric shock. Though the tom likely wasn't pleased, her family sure was, especially considering she was then only the young of age four and the event told the family that yet another squib had been avoided. "No, Nanna," replied Phaedra with a grin, looking back at the vanity's mirror. Helen gave a pleased hum and went back to braiding, soon finishing one side of the girl's head. " - Oh, I want green ribbons! ...Please?" she added afterwards, remembering that it was always polite to say please, even though secretly she knew her Nanna could never say no.

Eventually, the hairstyle was completed and the tips of Phaedra’s pigtail braids were tied off with the very same ribbons she requested. As Helen walked away, the little girl scooted out of her too-tall vanity stool to follow her grandmother to the corner of the room where a dress form stood. Around it was a yellow dress; slightly poofy but otherwise simple with a row of yellow flowers in the midsection. She was already measured and fit for it the day before, so Helen unzipped the dress and helped her granddaughter get changed into her full attire.

After everything was done, Phaedra swung open her bedroom door and stepped into the wide halls. The corridors had a simple colour scheme - accents of green and gold wallpaper above extravagant, lower wall mouldings. An ancestor from long ago built this property and it was passed down through the generations; after the man's sorting into Slytherin as a child it was obvious from where he had been inspired for the interior design. The bottom of the girl’s flats clicked as she skipped through the dimmed passage to the top of the stairway, grabbing hold of the wooden railing as she began her descent downwards. This particular staircase was the largest in her home and one of the main centrepieces in the large foyer. Eyes glued to the base of the stairs as she tottered down the flights, Phaedra was surprised to see the area empty - besides a lone house-elf polishing the floor with magic – with none of her other relatives to be found. She opened her mouth to speak to the creature for help until Helen's voice called out to her.

"The sitting room, Phaedra," she said from the top of the stairs, climbing down the flights after Phaedra much slower due to her age. The older woman would too attend the gathering with the Towers, as she were the matriarch of the Stavrou family and born from a powerful lineage herself - the Travers'. Leaving the elf to do his work, Phaedra took heed of her grandmother's instructions and quickly walked past the preoccupied creature into another corridor entirely. The house was big for such a little girl, but she knew the basic gist of where everything was located. Running around the corner on her right, she found herself approaching a sitting room three figures standing around. Ah, so there was the rest of her family, just like Nanna had said. Coming to a stop after running, she then announced her presence.“Mummy! Dad!” It wasn't what her parents would call an inside voice, but they couldn't be bothered to worry about such a thing now, as they too were preparing to leave.

“We’re in here. Hurry up,” announced a heavily accented, yet still coherent voice; belonging to none other than Phaedra’s mother herself. The sharp-faced woman was given the name Chrysanthi but begrudgingly went with Chrysa ever since being brought to Britain from Greece many years ago. Strict with high expectations, she was the very image of a perfectionist and carried herself accordingly. The woman wore a modest blouse and skirt and her hair was styled glossy and straight. She looked elegant. Chrysa was too concerned with removing a nearly invisible strand of hair off of her firstborn's blouse (the woman’s eyes could spot anything) than to give her youngest a glance after she had entered. With one hand, Chrysa waved Phaedra over without looking. “Have you finished getting dressed?” she asked, heavy voice carrying over her shoulder. Chrysa didn't wait for an answer, she expected it to be done. Finally pulling away from Pavlina and letting the dark hair drop to the floor, she turned around and scanned her youngest daughter over before making a twirling motion in the air with her fingers. “Spin. Let me see the back.”

Phaedra did so and facing away from her mother she rocked back and forth on her heels, waiting for permission to turn back around. This happened nearly every occasion - her mother must first approve every bit of her daughters' outfits, almost as if she thought of the girls as her own personal dolls.

Chrysa's eyes narrowed once her gaze fell to the bottom of her daughter's hair, right at the pale, green ribbons that Helen had placed there just a few minutes prior. Said woman finally appeared inside of the sitting room and leaned down to give her granddaughter a kiss on the forehead.

Yellow dress with green ribbons? Chrysa didn't like it, she didn't ask for it - no matter the fact that the look was perfectly acceptable and fun for a child. Lips pursed back in a straight line, Chrysa turned away from her daughter and mother-in-law after giving Helen a side eye, who took notice and gave a smirk in return. The ribbons themselves weren't the reason for her annoyance - it was the realisation that Helen had done it purely to spite her, just like the old woman had done other things to one-up her throughout their many years living together under the same roof. Nonetheless, Chrysa couldn't argue with her husband's mother nor waste any more time asking for Phaedra to change. They needed to leave now if they wanted to arrive in time for the Towers' dinner.

As Chrysa began walking to the back of the room, Phaedra's big sister finally stepped forward to converse with Helen and Phae. “I went over curtsying all day yesterday with her, grandma, I think she’s got it down,” mentioned the seventeen-year-old. Pavlina was entering her final year at Hogwarts and was to be Head Girl; a title the family was very proud of her for. Phaedra would hate to see her best friend leave for school once more, but her father explained it would be the last time the sisters would ever have to be apart for so long.

Jumping up and down, Phaedra closed the distance between her and her sister. “Pavvy! Nanna did my hair; do you like it?” She hugged her sister at the waist and smiling, Pavlina returned the affections.

While the girls interacted, their mother stood by the fireplace by their father, who stood crouched over, arranging the firewood so they could prepare to floo to their destination for the evening. Chrysa placed her hand on his shoulder and he stood up to look lovingly to his wife, an unspoken communication going on between them. “We’re right on time,” Giannis consoled her with his deep voice, and while rubbing at his dark, bearded chin he reached over the tall fireplace’s mantelpiece for a small floo powder vase.

“Girls!” snapped Chrysa, looking back to her children. “We must leave. Remember – do not misbehave. This will be an important dinner with an important family. Phaedra, you will travel with me. Come here."

Phaedra had travelled by floo powder before, many times in fact, but the sensation of being engulfed in flames was one the girl still dreaded to experience. Not to mention, there was always the fear of what would be on the other side, as her parents sometimes travelled to questionable and scary places. Her feet rooted to the floor, Phaedra felt herself get forcefully brought forward by her sister taking hold of her wrist, where she was then placed beside her mother afterwards.

With his arm outstretched, their father brought down the grey powder onto the gently burning flames with a shout, a sudden heat emitting from the firewood as the flames turned green and grew monstrously large. As Giannis ran into the fire he soon disappeared, and the room was still as it was before. Pavlina and Helen went their turns as well, only leaving Phaedra and her mother behind for last.

Taking hold of her daughter's small hand, Chrysa repeated what the steps those previous had done and walked into the green flames with Phaedra following behind, the girl's eyes shut tight. She tried to avoid the urge to hold on to her mother's leg - you couldn't be a big girl and hang onto your mother that way.

When the sick feeling in her stomach went away, Phaedra opened her eyes to find herself standing before another room that looked just as fancy as hers back home. There was a myriad of many new and different faces, and following after her mother like a scared duckling, Phaedra crossed over the wood out of the fireplace, wobbling a bit as she did so. Most of these people were adults and after finally letting go of her mother's hand, Phaedra stood straight like she was expected to around them, though an expression of certainty remained on her features. The raven-haired girl glanced around her surroundings warily.

Phaedra's father had taken to conversing with Serena's father, pulling his outstretched hand back after a handshake as he introduced himself. Her father was normally quite the introvert, but he knew how to be charismatic when the occasion called for it. He was a businessman after all - it was all a part of the job. On the other side of the room sat Helen, who took a drink from the little house-elf and sat back against the couch, giving her granddaughter a smile once their eyes met. She took a sip of her drink and turned to the other company afterwards. The girl wanted to run back into her Nanna's arms, but Helen didn't want to encourage the urge. If Phaedra was nervous, Helen believed she would have to figure it out some things on her own accord as well.

Phaedra glanced back up at her mother, who had already introduced herself as well and was having some light chatter with Kamna Oberoi. It seemed the women had talked before - no surprise there. Her mother had many friends and gatherings, too many for Phaedra to remember.

Out of the corner of her eye, appeared another girl Phaedra's age in a light blue dress. Phaedra slowly turned to her and gave her all of her attention. Was that the girl? The girl that she could play with? Being approached by Smeagol, she lifted an arm and received a small glass of apple juice. Phaedra wasted no time in drinking it - the transport via fireplace left her a bit parched. She put the glass back onto the tray once the house-elf came back around with after handing out drinks. There was one left, presumably for Serena, who the creature then made his way towards.

Serena's mother introduced her daughter to the rest of the room and Phaedra watched as she approached and did a curtsy. Phaedra was too nervous, and a bit excited, to notice the nervous way the other was grasping onto her glass. Politely, Pavlina and her mother acknowledged Serena with nods, smiles of varying genuineness plaster onto both of their faces. It was almost a game to them - judging how other pure-blood families were run. There seemed to be very little differences between the Towers' and Stavrous however. Clearing her throat, Chrysa spoke up once more.

"These are my daughters," Chrysa began, looking to them and then pausing after as if expecting something. Pavlina immediately dipped her head and took to a curtsy, and finally comprehending, Phaedra repeated after her. Their practising the previous day had done her well - she held her dress out just enough and didn't even wobble after coming up from most of her weight on one leg.

"Pavlina," Chrysa said, pointing to the girl on her left, and after doing the same to her right she finished with "And Phaedra."

"It's very nice to meet you, Serena," spoke up the teenage girl. The future Head Girl was a kind soul and despite the significant age difference between her and Serena, she didn't seem to look down on any of the children in the room. However, now that she was seventeen, she was now a legal adult in the wizarding world, and would likely stick around the adults for the evening, meaning Phaedra was all on her own to stick around the Towers children. "I've heard a lot about you and your brother. Phaedra?" Do you have anything you want to say? Pav wanted to add on, and though she didn't Phaedra still caught on.

Nanna and now her sister had told her that there was nothing to fret, and shyly, Phaedra walked towards Serena after someone's gentle push on her back reassured her. Probably Pavlina's. "Hi," said Phaedra trying her hardest not to stare at the ground, but despite this, her lower body had a mind of its own. Her hands were clasped behind her back and pointing the toe of her shoe into the floor, she awkwardly twisted her foot back and forth. The girl suddenly stopped once she realised she was doing it. Her mother had yelled at her about that sometimes. "...I like your dress. Want to be my friend?" Blue was her favourite colour and complimenting the girl was all she could think of at the moment; she didn't know as much about the family as her sister did. Another thought soon crossed her mind.

"My Nanna said we could. Do you have a cat? I do. He's a bit grumpy though, but his fur is soft and grey." she grinned.

She could talk forever if she really wanted.

P.S.xx𓆩*𓆪xxL.S.

Serena Towers

Apprentice Metal Charmer, III

6 569 1 857

9 Aug 2018, 17:19

The young girl's eyes looked around the room as she carefully held her glance of orange juice in her hand. She was blissfully unaware that her mother was already unimpressed by her behaviour. Instead of introducing herself and greeting everyone, Serena had taken the glass of juice that had been given to her before. Apparently this was in the wrong order. It was more polite, in her mother's opinion, to greet everyone first and make sure they were catered for before taking your own food or drink. It was customary to serve the guests first.

Her father was busy with another old man, which she assumed was the father in this family. Her brother stood besides her mother, like the very good mother's boy he was. Serena's mother, Kamna, introduced the last member of her family to the room before Chrysa did the same with her own daughters. Before the young girl could say anything, a very pretty older girl came up to her and started to talk to her. This one was the one that Serena thought might be called 'Pavlina' but she was not a hundred percent sure. She had a kind smile though and smoothing aura around her. Serena did not think any of it at the time but subconsciously, she got a warm relaxing feeling from the teenage girl. She felt at ease. It was a kind aura. "Nice to meet you too, Pa- Pavleena," Serena said, luckily pronouncing her name right although she put a little more emphasis on the 'i' than she perhaps should have done.

Before she could continue to talk to Pavlina, another figure approached. One that she instantly recognised to be her older brother. He swooped in, almost on key as he heard Pavlina mention him, "Hi Pavlina, I'm Desmond," He was several years younger than her but that would not stop him from admiring her beauty, "Can I get you a drink?"

The younger daughter walked forward, complimenting her dress and asking her to be her friend. Instantly, Serena's face lit up. Her grin went from ear to ear as she nodded. She was so relieved that the girl seemed nice and wanted to be friends. Deep down, she was worried that Phaedra would be mean and dislike her. She had asked Smeagol what to do if Phaedra did not want to play with her, but he assured that 'everyone would love to play' with her. "Yeah! I like your ribbons. I want some..." She said as she pulled at her own hair with her free hand. It was boring. Smeagol may have excelled in stitching and tailoring new clothing but hairdressing was not his forte. Her hair was just straight, with a small clip in it on one side to prevent it covering her face. Her mother hated when she caught Serena constantly brushing hair out of her face. Nodding enthusiastically, she held out her orange juice that she had yet to take a sip of, "Yes, let's be friends. Would you like my juice?" Serena offered Phaedra with a smile on her face. Her new friend needed a gift of some sort. She pretty much forced the other girl to take her drink.

Serena shook her head, "Not here. My dada and dadi have a cat at their house. They said I can play with him whenever I want," She replied with a satisfied smile on her face, knowing full well that she could visit her grandparents at anytime to play with their cat. The child was unaware that 'dada' and 'dadi' were not English words. They also weren't the names of her paternal grandparents but Serena had only ever called them at and knew no other name or reference for them. "He's called 'Tabby', what's your cat's name?" Serena continued. It was not called 'Tabby' at all. It was a tabby cat.

The Indian girl could seriously talk when it came to her friends. She was shy with strangers but they were friends now, right? Phaedra was her new best friend, it was official. Nothing could break the two of them apart now. Serena had claimed them to be friends and that was that. "Shall we go play?" Serena asked her suddenly, wanting to show her something, "Come! Let's go!" She was a little too enthusiastic about it but she had a playroom just across the corridor from the reception that they were adjacent to.

She ushered Phaedra to follow her. The playroom was about two minutes waddle away. If the girl agreed to play, Serena would led her out of the living room, down through the corridor past the reception room. Opposite, she pressed both of her palms onto the door (assuming she had given away her juice. If she was still holding it, she would put it down by the side, open the door and then pick it up again before entering). It was a large door, slightly heavier than what you would ordinarily find in houses. However it was not as heavy as some of the other doors, like the front one. However, Serena was tiny compared to the door. She was comparable to a house elf, after all. It took two of her arms, leaning forward and bending her leg. With her feet firmly rooted on the ground, it took the majority of her body strength to push open the door and waddle into the large room.

Inside, one side was full of shelves. On them were tons of different items. Wizard crackers, exploding card decks, small wizard chess tables, gobstone sets and loads of items for children. She could not read most of them but there was a ladder in the corner that Serena was told she was strictly not allowed to use. Her brother was allowed to use it though, which she did not understand. Apparently he was 'old enough' to do so but he was only a little bigger than her! The young girl would waddle in and grin, waving her arms dramatically around for Phaedra, "Welcome to the playroom!" She announced. There were a lot of children toy's around. For example, there was a play area in the corner with objects like a slide, a small swing set and other objects. Each was magical enhanced in some way. The slide was actually a lot bigger, looped around and extended as you slid down it, for example. But to the eye, it seemed like a very basic slide. In truth, it was a massive room for very spoilt children who have magical parents with lots of money. But as a fellow wealthy pureblood, Phaedra probably had a similar room. For a wealthy family, it was nothing major. For the ordinary child, it was a giant playground full of toys.

If Phaedra didn't want to go to play, Serena would remain standing in the living room with everyone else.

Translations:
'Dada' means Paternal Grandfather
'Dadi' means Paternal Grandmother

Phaedra Stavrou

Adult, II

1 807 1 768

14 Oct 2018, 21:51

To say that Pavlina appeared amused at her sister's ramblings would be an understatement. Of course she'd mention the cat. The older Stavrou daughter stood almost like a protective force over Phaedra, watching her younger sister develop her own social skills and make her first friend that wasn't a part of the family. She looked proud, patting down a stray wisp of hair on Phaedra's head.

A strange boy walked to the teen, and the small Phaedra was momentarily confused on who he was until he introduced himself to Pavlina. Phaedra wasn't nearly as interested to meet Desmond as she was with Serena, so instead, she listened to what Serena had to say about the ribbons in her hair as the older siblings had an entirely different conversation. "Desmond," Pavlina acknowledged with a humble nod of her head. "That'd be nice. I'm a bit thirsty. I'll have water for now - save the champagne for later." She had either failed to notice the boy's cringy gawking or had ignored it entirely. The seventeen-year-old had her own secret boyfriend to worry about but would not oppose to Desmond fetching drinks for her throughout the night!

Phaedra thought the turn of events was perfect! Now both pairs of siblings had someone to converse with (though Pavlina would actually try to stick around the adults - she was far too old for any of the Towers children). As Pavlina went to take a seat somewhere in the living room, Phaedra continued to speak to her newest friend. They both liked pretty ribbons; it was official now. They were best buds.

Phaedra grinned from ear to ear and took hold of the cup firmly with both hands. "Okay! Thank you," She added politely, and then brought the glass to her lips to take a few sips. The Greek girl lowered the fancy glass after being asked of her cat's name.

“His name is Klausie,” Phaedra replied sweetly, rocking back and forth on the heels of her shoes as she wiped remaining orange juice from her upper lip. Or at least, that’s what she called the tom. The angry thing was actually named Klaus, but that wasn’t as endearing to her. Currently, Phaedra was in a phase where all she used were cutesy nicknames, especially if a given name was too hard for her to say normally. And she hadn’t realised that the other girl referred to her cat by its coat pattern either; a cat was a cat and she didn’t pay much mind to (or was even aware of) the existence of different types, only whether they were fun to play with. Was Tabby fun to play with? There was only one way to find out. “I think he’s sad a lot because he’s lonely and misses his family. Do you want to have a play-date with Klausie and Tabby? I’ll ask my mummy if you ask yours!”

Phaedra jumped excitedly in response to Serena’s request to play. “Yeah!” she exclaimed, her two braids bouncing off of her shoulders. Following Serena’s lead, Phaedra skipped behind her as they went to the playroom. The Towers family had a really nice home - where was Serena taking her to play? Did her family have gardens to run through and a big tree with swings like hers did? She wanted to ask if that was where they’d spend their time as the other girl struggled to push open the doors, but she was too preoccupied with the delicious orange juice in her hands; after gulping it down she placed it on a table to the side of the door. Serena ultimately got the heavy doors open before turning around and announcing their arrival, just like a good host would. Phaedra’s dark eyes lit up as she took a confident step into the room, the incredible interior now revealed.

All in one big room was every wizard toy imaginable; a chess table game that she was too young to understand, wizard crackers, slides - and Merlin's beard - was that a toy broom leaning against the wall? If only she had brought hers, maybe they could've raced each other. It was all so familiar yet so different all at once. It was nice to see another kid's playroom for once. Her swing set certainly wasn't allowed indoors but she found it brilliant that Serena's was. Why were her parents so against running and playing indoors? Phaedra would have pouted in jealousy had the room not made her so happy.

Almost immediately, she made a beeline towards the slide in the corner. She’d be crazy to miss out on that! Finding herself behind its ladder, she hoisted herself up and sat at the top of the slide before pushing herself down. As she slid around and around in the enchanted slide, she squealed as loudly as she could; luckily her voice was slightly muffled due to the plastic barrier between the slide and the outside. "Eeeeek!" Was her cry filled with giggles.

Her mother would have told her to use her “inside voice”, but she was just having so much fun with her new friend and her toys. She was happy that Serena was okay with sharing with her - it was a common occurrence that Pavlina forbid Phaedra from touching her belongings. Big siblings were mean sometimes.

“Dolls!” Phaedra said once at the bottom of the slide, slightly out of breath as she fought to get out. It was elevated a bit off of the floor and so she had to thrash her tiny feet to help her scoot out. Once she managed to get back on the solid floor, young Phaedra ran towards the big dollhouse that she had seen. She adored dolls and had many of her own since as early as she could remember. You could put them in pretty dresses... do their hair… make them talk to each other… the possibilities were endless and such a toy was perfect for a girl with her imagination.

She picked up one that had dark hair similar to hers, and twirled the locks between her fingers. "Serena!" Phaedra declared excitedly, watching Serena do whatever it was during the time she had went on the slide. Maybe she had too much juice to drink. It made her hyper sometimes. Hopefully she would be calm enough for dinner.

"Let's play with the dollhouse!"

P.S.xx𓆩*𓆪xxL.S.

Serena Towers

Apprentice Metal Charmer, III

6 569 1 857

20 Oct 2019, 18:09

Within a matter of moments, Pavlina had succeeded in making Desmond her own personal house elf. The boy would eagerly try to impress her, throughout the evening. It started from here. There was just something about her. She was not only beautiful but also elegant and had a certain air of class around her. Perhaps it was because she was older than the boring girls that he knew from school. Nonetheless, she would be on the receiving end of his desperate - yet perhaps unknowing - need for attention. "Of course," He replied politely, rushing off to get some water for her - and some for himself. It was rather pathetic, to be quite truthful. The Towers family were not short in staff. They employed elves or other wizards to do things around the house and fetching drinks could easily be delegated to one of them. Desmond had unintentionally made himself her lackey.

Serena beamed happily as her new best friend accepted her gift. The juice sealed their friendship. Her smile only faltered from her face after her friend spoke about Klausie's sadness. She frowned in thought, "That's really sad," She replied, not liking the idea that her friend's cat was unhappy, "Where's his family?" She asked after a few moments pause. Perhaps they could find Klausie's family and all would be solved! Then Klausie and his family, Tabby, Phaedra and Serena could all play together and be best friends forever.

Her eyes lit up and her toothy grin spread across her face again as Phaedra suggested a play-date with the cats. "That sounds so much fun! Hopefully my mummy will say yes. I'll ask my dadi too!" She exclaimed, making a 'deal' with her new friend and agreeing to ask both her mother and her grandma. The prospect of playing with both the cats and her first friend could only bring joy to her heart. She almost jumped up, fistbumping the air as she waved her hands around rather excitedly about the idea before quickly realising that that was not 'appropriate' behaviour and recomposing herself. She pulled on the end of her dress, trying to keep her hands in check before her mother scolded her out of the room.

Luckily, Phaedra agreed to going to play - which meant they could stay far away from the adults glaring gaze. Serena could not help but grin, showing off all of her teeth as she saw her friend having so much fun on the slide. The young Indian giggled at the sight, "Oh me me!" She called out after, quickly making her way to the swing as she wanted to have a go on that. They were perhaps both very lucky that the large doors had shut, muffling a lot of the noise. If Kamna heard Serena scream like this, they would be in trouble. But having rather sturdy doors almost soundproofed the room from the small children's squeals. Serena kicked off her feet, doing a little run as she sat down onto the chair and get herself swung a bit. She giggled with excitement, even though she was not going very fast or high. The swing was not huge, but it was big for a young girl.

Serena bore another toothy grin as her friend found the doll house. It was one of her favourite toys, though she sometimes would leave a doll outside in the garden and be on the receiving end of her mother's scolding. Luckily Smeagol was very good at finding them and returning them to their proper place before Kamna saw these days. She could not be happier when Phaedra decided to play with the dollhouse, "YEAH!" She squealed as she rushed off the swing, stumbling forward a little from the speed as she almost fell off it. Rushing to her friend, she looked at the one that Phaedra found, "We should name that one Phaedra!" She declared, as she noticed her friend had a liking for it.

Rooting through a box near the doll house, Serena pulled out her favourite doll - one that had been gifted to her by her grandmother. The doll's hair was a little tangled from misuse and the clothes were a bit dirty but Serena loved playing with her, "This one is Jodha," She announced, having named the doll after herself long ago. Jodha was Serena's middle name, named after a famous Queen from centuries ago. Serena did not know the history of the name but her gran had told her that Jodha was the name of a Queen, and had named this doll that when she gave it to her a year ago.

Jodha had a long red gown on and long black hair that was plaited. She previously had a crown on but it had fallen off somewhere inside the box. The hair was a little messy at the top, where the crown had been pulled off and tangled towards the bottom. Serena started to pull at her plait, trying to remove it.

Finding a hair brush in the box, she started to brush her hair, so the doll was a bit more presentable. Though it was likely that Serena was adding more tangles than less. "I have some clothes in urm... this box here..." She said slowly as she pulled out another small box from the bigger one which had a few outfits for the different dolls. They had been swapped around a lot. She didn't know if her friend wanted to change the outfit or not but she offered, nonetheless. It made a nice change to have someone interested in her toys. Her older brother never bothered to play dolls with her. If anything, he would take them and try to pull their arms off or break them. Serena really liked that she now had a bestfriend who could play with the dollhouse with her. Hopefully, Phaedra could come over more often and they could play together all the time! "Do you have a dollhouse at home too?" She asked, wondering if Phaedra had one. Perhaps Serena could go visit her and play at her dollhouse too!

Back

Phae and Fate PV Phaedra